I've just placed my two-months-from-now comic order, and 52 isn't in it. Now, if it turns out that there's something especially compelling in the box that's due this week I may reconsider, but as it is I've been enjoying it less and less as it goes on, and that's $10 a month, after all. All else being equal, I suspect that weeklies will always be cut before monthlies, just because of the money factor. Besides, I can always find out what goes on there on the internet, right?
Guess that means I'm not doing my duty as a comic fan :).
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Comics to Remember: Adventure #356, "The Five Legion Orphans" (1967) [Spoilers]
It's not a very large sample, but between this book and the Wonder Woman I discussed a few posts ago, I'd say that when I was five, a sure way to get me to buy a comic was to feature the regular characters turned into children. Or possibly that was a sure way to get my dad to pick that book to bring home to me, I don't recall. (Incidentally, the brown spots on the pics are from where the staples rusted over the years.)
In any case, here is Adventure 356, in 1967 the source for Legion of Superheroes stories. The story begins on Parents' Day, apparently a far more significant holiday in the 30th century, celebrated with parades and extensive media coverage of the parents of celebrities:
In the mean time, those Legionnaires without parents are stuck with monitor duty, and some are feeling a bit sorry for themselves, which isn't entirely unreasonable:
Suddenly the orphan Legionnaires are interrupted by a distress call from the planet Zinth. A valuable power crystal has been stolen by raiders and dropped into a pool of water. Mon-El and Superboy go search for the raiders (unsuccessfully) while Brainiac 5, Dream Girl and Element Lad don masks which will allow them to breathe underwater and go after the crystal. It's heavy, but the three manage to carry it out--until they find themselves growing weaker and are forced to drop it. When they emerge from the pool, it's apparent that they are only weaker because they are now younger, due to the effect of the water. Mon-El and Superboy return to find their friends transformed, and--assuming that they will be invulnerable to whatever is in the water--they go after the crystal themselves. Unfortunately they're wrong, and although they rescue the crystal, pretty soon they suffer the same fate as their companions. As toddlers they retain their powers, but not their memories--except for Brainiac 5 and his twelfth-level intellect.
They are immediately taken off to the Interstellar Orphanage. Please note the resemblance of the orphanage to a zoo--it seems designed for display more than anything else. (Also please note that Silver Age Brainy had a lot more respect for Dream Girl's powers than he has in his last few incarnations.)
Pretty soon the child-sized Leionnaires are on display as well, and the kids all try their best to get adopted by showing their abilities.
All are adopted and leave for their new homes. As for why Brainiac 5--who remembers who they all are!--doesn't tell anyone what happened, I can't figure out. Heck, he could have gotten back to his own lab and fixed 'em all. (I'll put it down to artistic license.) Instead, he sneaks into his new dad's lab to try to figure things out. This is not difficult, since apparently parenting on this planet doesn't involve anything resembling actually watching the kids. You'd think that someone who had just adopted a child would want to spend some time with him or her, but not here.
And that's a good thing for li'l Brainiac 5, because it enables him to save the day.
A "pleasant surprise"? Brainiac 5 is displaying his power of super-understatement here, I think...
As a kid, I don't think I thought much about it, but damn, this is a dark story. I can only imagine how it would be told today.
In any case, here is Adventure 356, in 1967 the source for Legion of Superheroes stories. The story begins on Parents' Day, apparently a far more significant holiday in the 30th century, celebrated with parades and extensive media coverage of the parents of celebrities:
In the mean time, those Legionnaires without parents are stuck with monitor duty, and some are feeling a bit sorry for themselves, which isn't entirely unreasonable:
Suddenly the orphan Legionnaires are interrupted by a distress call from the planet Zinth. A valuable power crystal has been stolen by raiders and dropped into a pool of water. Mon-El and Superboy go search for the raiders (unsuccessfully) while Brainiac 5, Dream Girl and Element Lad don masks which will allow them to breathe underwater and go after the crystal. It's heavy, but the three manage to carry it out--until they find themselves growing weaker and are forced to drop it. When they emerge from the pool, it's apparent that they are only weaker because they are now younger, due to the effect of the water. Mon-El and Superboy return to find their friends transformed, and--assuming that they will be invulnerable to whatever is in the water--they go after the crystal themselves. Unfortunately they're wrong, and although they rescue the crystal, pretty soon they suffer the same fate as their companions. As toddlers they retain their powers, but not their memories--except for Brainiac 5 and his twelfth-level intellect.
They are immediately taken off to the Interstellar Orphanage. Please note the resemblance of the orphanage to a zoo--it seems designed for display more than anything else. (Also please note that Silver Age Brainy had a lot more respect for Dream Girl's powers than he has in his last few incarnations.)
Pretty soon the child-sized Leionnaires are on display as well, and the kids all try their best to get adopted by showing their abilities.
All are adopted and leave for their new homes. As for why Brainiac 5--who remembers who they all are!--doesn't tell anyone what happened, I can't figure out. Heck, he could have gotten back to his own lab and fixed 'em all. (I'll put it down to artistic license.) Instead, he sneaks into his new dad's lab to try to figure things out. This is not difficult, since apparently parenting on this planet doesn't involve anything resembling actually watching the kids. You'd think that someone who had just adopted a child would want to spend some time with him or her, but not here.
And that's a good thing for li'l Brainiac 5, because it enables him to save the day.
A "pleasant surprise"? Brainiac 5 is displaying his power of super-understatement here, I think...
As a kid, I don't think I thought much about it, but damn, this is a dark story. I can only imagine how it would be told today.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Real comic shops!
I didn't expect to be posting for a while as we're out of town visiting relatives, but it turns out I've got a chance, so here I am.
Since we are out of town, and in an actual city, we took the opportunity today to visit several comic book shops (there are none in our small town, of course). I never did get to comic shops often, and probably haven't been to one in something over ten years, so I wasn't sure what to expect since I was sure they had changed since way-back-when in the days of speculation.
Store #1
The first shop we stopped at, a smaller store, was a pleasant surprise. We (myself, husband, twelve-year-old and seven-year-old) walked in and the first thing we saw was an entire display of kid-oriented comics, from Marvel Adventures to Archie. There was a full wall of trade paperbacks, a good selection of mainstream comic titles (and I have to admit I didn't check out the indies because I wasn't thinking of doing a post on this at the time), a moderate selection of action figures, and a smallish collection of back issues. There was also (and this was the highlight for the seven-year-old) the "best vending machine in the world," and each girl got herself a little superhero bobble-head figure--the twelve-year-old got Storm and the seven-year-old got the Black Cat so both were thrilled. (These were the only two female figures available in the machine, and the twelve-year-old loves Storm and the seven-year-old loves cats, so really it couldn't have been more perfect.) While we were there, another parent with children came in, so clearly this was a family-friendly store. When I asked for assistance finding an item, the proprietor was friendly and helpful and knew exactly where it was. The store was clean, reasonably well-organized, and welcoming, and probably would have been so for non-comic fans as well. Although small, it was not crowded although it was about as well stocked as it could be.
Purchased: For the twelve-year-old, Stan Lee Meets the Thing; for the seven-year-old, Astonishing X-Men; for myself, all seven volumes of Twisted Toyfare Theatre (whee!).
Grade: A
Store #2
The second store we found was really more of a gaming store--they had a separate gaming room set up, which is a very cool idea (and the gaming stuff probably makes a lot of comic shops commercially viable, since comics alone are no longer as saleable as they were in the 90s). It was a much larger store, and in fact advertised that fact, but they could probably fit quite a bit more in it as it was quite roomy. Good selection of new comics of all sorts (everything in the store seems to be bagged). Nice selection of action figures of many sorts. Moderate selection of TPBs. Very roomy. Also had a section devoted to kids' books, although I only saw teenagers while I was there, no doubt because of the Friday night gaming sessions.
When I asked about back issues I was pointed to the back room, a large storeroom-type room with a couch, tables (presumably for extra gaming room) and a lot of longboxes. I sat down to look, but since I hadn't planned on getting to a shop this trip I hadn't made a list, and really I have no idea which Green Lantern back issues I'd want without having made a list. They had some back issues which hadn't been checked in yet fully, but if you wanted one you could bring it to the checkout and they'd price it for you and you could decide whether you wanted it at that price or not, which is probably fine if you're familiar with back-issue pricing, but I am not and haven't been in probably fifteen years, so I didn't bother, particularly as we were running late anyway. If I hadn't thought to ask, I wouldn't have known that the back room existed, because it really doesn't look like part of the store. Once we were in there, an older man came in and asked if I needed any help, which I did, so they obviously keep track of their customers--just need a bigger sign with an arrow, I guess! :)
This store seemed more fan-oriented than the first one and had a very club-like atmosphere, which for me is fine because I'm comfortable just about anywhere and I am a comic fan, but I can see where someone who was new to comics might have felt a little out of their depth. The girls and I were the only females in the place, but didn't feel at all out of place because of it.
Purchased: Volume 5 of the Teen Titans TPB series, for the twelve-year-old.
Grade: B-
Store #3
We went into this one and the husband and I both said that this was what a comic book store was supposed to look like--table after table filled with longboxes! At least that was what they all seemed to look like back in the day, when we were just thrilled that they existed at all. Back then comic stores just had comics. This one had a small gaming section but was primarily devoted to comics and related items.
There were separate dollar boxes for less-valuable books, a very good selection of back issues, a decent selection of trade paperbacks (although still not the GL TPS I was looking for!), a small action-figure section, a small hardback section, a very good selection of new comics. A comfortable atmosphere, although probably not someplace you'd stay for hours on end. Younger crowd, approximately equal male/female mix (the clerk was female as well). Less cozy than the first store but certainly friendly.
Purchased: For the twelve-year-old, Ultimate Power. For the seven-year-old, Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four. For me, the Captain America: Red Menace TPB.
Grade: A-
[Added later, because we hit one more shop on the way out of town.]
Store #4
This was another comic-shop-that-looks-like-a-comic-shop, with plenty of back-issue longboxes, a no-frills atmosphere and a definite comic focus. Not huge, a bit crowded and awkward to get around. Good selection of new books, moderate selection of trades, moderate selection of back issues. And the best customer service of any place we went.
The husband dropped us off this time, and the two kids and I went in. We passed the new comic shelf, and went on to the trades, which were on the wall behind the longboxes. After we'd been there a little while, the clerk (proprietor?) came up to us to see if we were finding what we wanted. He asked the girls what they were interested in (he actually talked to them instead of asking me, the parent--although since they're both a bit shy at times I did help out). When he found out that the twelve-year-old loves Birds of Prey he showed us the newest trade. When he learned that the seven-year-old likes the X-Men he found us a small paperback telling the story of Storm as a little girl, which the seven-year-old wouldn't let out of her hands the entire time we were in the store. He noticed the girls admiring a Zatanna action figure and let us know about a Zatanna series that's going to be coming out. He and I talked a little about comics as well. The guy behind the counter was also friendly and helpful. When we left the store, they both made a point of saying goodbye. Now that's how we like to be treated in a comic shop. He didn't point the girls to the "girl books", or even the "kid books"--he made a point of seeing what they actually liked. If life is fair, that guy should be in business for a long time to come.
Purchased: For the twelve-year-old, the latest Birds of Prey trade and the most recent Heroes for Hire. For the seven-year-old, a book on Storm as a child which is apparently still in the car at the moment. For me, New Excalibur 13.
Grade: A
Since we are out of town, and in an actual city, we took the opportunity today to visit several comic book shops (there are none in our small town, of course). I never did get to comic shops often, and probably haven't been to one in something over ten years, so I wasn't sure what to expect since I was sure they had changed since way-back-when in the days of speculation.
Store #1
The first shop we stopped at, a smaller store, was a pleasant surprise. We (myself, husband, twelve-year-old and seven-year-old) walked in and the first thing we saw was an entire display of kid-oriented comics, from Marvel Adventures to Archie. There was a full wall of trade paperbacks, a good selection of mainstream comic titles (and I have to admit I didn't check out the indies because I wasn't thinking of doing a post on this at the time), a moderate selection of action figures, and a smallish collection of back issues. There was also (and this was the highlight for the seven-year-old) the "best vending machine in the world," and each girl got herself a little superhero bobble-head figure--the twelve-year-old got Storm and the seven-year-old got the Black Cat so both were thrilled. (These were the only two female figures available in the machine, and the twelve-year-old loves Storm and the seven-year-old loves cats, so really it couldn't have been more perfect.) While we were there, another parent with children came in, so clearly this was a family-friendly store. When I asked for assistance finding an item, the proprietor was friendly and helpful and knew exactly where it was. The store was clean, reasonably well-organized, and welcoming, and probably would have been so for non-comic fans as well. Although small, it was not crowded although it was about as well stocked as it could be.
Purchased: For the twelve-year-old, Stan Lee Meets the Thing; for the seven-year-old, Astonishing X-Men; for myself, all seven volumes of Twisted Toyfare Theatre (whee!).
Grade: A
Store #2
The second store we found was really more of a gaming store--they had a separate gaming room set up, which is a very cool idea (and the gaming stuff probably makes a lot of comic shops commercially viable, since comics alone are no longer as saleable as they were in the 90s). It was a much larger store, and in fact advertised that fact, but they could probably fit quite a bit more in it as it was quite roomy. Good selection of new comics of all sorts (everything in the store seems to be bagged). Nice selection of action figures of many sorts. Moderate selection of TPBs. Very roomy. Also had a section devoted to kids' books, although I only saw teenagers while I was there, no doubt because of the Friday night gaming sessions.
When I asked about back issues I was pointed to the back room, a large storeroom-type room with a couch, tables (presumably for extra gaming room) and a lot of longboxes. I sat down to look, but since I hadn't planned on getting to a shop this trip I hadn't made a list, and really I have no idea which Green Lantern back issues I'd want without having made a list. They had some back issues which hadn't been checked in yet fully, but if you wanted one you could bring it to the checkout and they'd price it for you and you could decide whether you wanted it at that price or not, which is probably fine if you're familiar with back-issue pricing, but I am not and haven't been in probably fifteen years, so I didn't bother, particularly as we were running late anyway. If I hadn't thought to ask, I wouldn't have known that the back room existed, because it really doesn't look like part of the store. Once we were in there, an older man came in and asked if I needed any help, which I did, so they obviously keep track of their customers--just need a bigger sign with an arrow, I guess! :)
This store seemed more fan-oriented than the first one and had a very club-like atmosphere, which for me is fine because I'm comfortable just about anywhere and I am a comic fan, but I can see where someone who was new to comics might have felt a little out of their depth. The girls and I were the only females in the place, but didn't feel at all out of place because of it.
Purchased: Volume 5 of the Teen Titans TPB series, for the twelve-year-old.
Grade: B-
Store #3
We went into this one and the husband and I both said that this was what a comic book store was supposed to look like--table after table filled with longboxes! At least that was what they all seemed to look like back in the day, when we were just thrilled that they existed at all. Back then comic stores just had comics. This one had a small gaming section but was primarily devoted to comics and related items.
There were separate dollar boxes for less-valuable books, a very good selection of back issues, a decent selection of trade paperbacks (although still not the GL TPS I was looking for!), a small action-figure section, a small hardback section, a very good selection of new comics. A comfortable atmosphere, although probably not someplace you'd stay for hours on end. Younger crowd, approximately equal male/female mix (the clerk was female as well). Less cozy than the first store but certainly friendly.
Purchased: For the twelve-year-old, Ultimate Power. For the seven-year-old, Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four. For me, the Captain America: Red Menace TPB.
Grade: A-
[Added later, because we hit one more shop on the way out of town.]
Store #4
This was another comic-shop-that-looks-like-a-comic-shop, with plenty of back-issue longboxes, a no-frills atmosphere and a definite comic focus. Not huge, a bit crowded and awkward to get around. Good selection of new books, moderate selection of trades, moderate selection of back issues. And the best customer service of any place we went.
The husband dropped us off this time, and the two kids and I went in. We passed the new comic shelf, and went on to the trades, which were on the wall behind the longboxes. After we'd been there a little while, the clerk (proprietor?) came up to us to see if we were finding what we wanted. He asked the girls what they were interested in (he actually talked to them instead of asking me, the parent--although since they're both a bit shy at times I did help out). When he found out that the twelve-year-old loves Birds of Prey he showed us the newest trade. When he learned that the seven-year-old likes the X-Men he found us a small paperback telling the story of Storm as a little girl, which the seven-year-old wouldn't let out of her hands the entire time we were in the store. He noticed the girls admiring a Zatanna action figure and let us know about a Zatanna series that's going to be coming out. He and I talked a little about comics as well. The guy behind the counter was also friendly and helpful. When we left the store, they both made a point of saying goodbye. Now that's how we like to be treated in a comic shop. He didn't point the girls to the "girl books", or even the "kid books"--he made a point of seeing what they actually liked. If life is fair, that guy should be in business for a long time to come.
Purchased: For the twelve-year-old, the latest Birds of Prey trade and the most recent Heroes for Hire. For the seven-year-old, a book on Storm as a child which is apparently still in the car at the moment. For me, New Excalibur 13.
Grade: A
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Lives of the Lovelorn: The Black Knight [Spoilers, of course*]
* It does seem strange saying "spoilers" about twenty-year-old comics, but there you go. There are some spoilers here for Avengers 255-293 and 348-375.
Superhero comics are known for having their portion of soap opera--loves lost, lost loves, dead loves and used-to-be-dead loves. While these tendencies vary with storyline and creative team, there are some characters who just seem prone to romantic problems--Spiderman comes to mind of course, and few heroes anywhere got as much action or as much hearthbreak as Iron Man. And just as in real life--where we all know someone who, if it weren't for bad luck, would have no luck at all in the romantic arena--there are comic book heroes who, in their personal lives, seem to make nothing but bad choices.
Case in point: Dane Whitman, the Black Knight. A Marvel second-stringer who has never had his own ongoing series but has been featured in several team books, the Black Knight just can't seem to find a woman who is interested, available, and stable. (Sometimes he manages two out of three.)
When he first encountered the Avengers back in 196? (issue #49), he was too busy fighting them to think about anything else. It was one of those typical hero-meets-heroes, heroes-think-hero-is-a-villain, hero-and-heroes-do-battle things. (It didn't help matters that Dane had taken the Black Knight mantle from his uncle, who had in fact been a super-villain and fought the Avengers in the past.) The confusion was inevitable, although eventually the Avengers figured out that this was not their old foe, but someone entirely different. In any case, at this time they parted on thorny terms.
He later joined the Avengers but went immediately to reserve status, so we didn't see a lot of him then either.
But when he finally had an extended term as an active Avenger, then we got to see him in action. This was in 1985, around issue 255. Among his fellow Avengers was Janet van Dyne, the wonderful Wasp, who was then acting as chair of the group. Jan, as always, was confident, outgoing, friendly and flirtatious. With everyone. She has almost always been portrayed that way. It's just the way she is, and it means nothing.
However, when an emotionally needy young Knight is the other party in these interactions, misunderstandings can arise. And pretty soon you've got this sort of thing going on:
But you know, this also shows one of the reasons the Black Knight is one of my favorite Avengers. Yes, here he is thinking about making his move...but do you notice why he's attracted to Jan? It's because of her confidence, her competence, her leadership skills! Impressive, even if he hasn't got a chance with her.
A few issues later, Jan and Dan are on--well, not a date, although I imagine he's thinking of it that way. She's asked him to accompany her to a celebrity gala for charity, one of the many good works of the Avengers in the mid-80s. They should have a wonderful time, if they can only run the press gauntlet. The reporters demand to know about the rumors of the Submariner (at this time an Avenger) having left the team. Jan stutters in surprise, Namor is only taking a leave of absence. The press continues to push the issue, and neither Jan nor Dane have ready answers. While the Knight stumbles to find his words, the press is distracted by the arrival at the gala of the dashing Paladin, the fellow the lovely Wasp is actually going out with at this point in time. She is, of course, thrilled and delighted to see him. The Knight is, of course, not. And it's none too long until his frustration comes to the fore:
(Jan's reaction, naturally, is somewhere in the area of "WTF?")
Not long after that, Dane realizes that his affection is unrequited and likely to stay that way, and attempts to fix the situation, managing to maintain a vaguely charming cluelessness with just a tinge of pathetic. He's set his cap for a woman who simply isn't interested in him in that way, and he takes responsibility for it--he doesn't blame her for her lack of interest, he doesn't try to press the issue when he sees that it's not going to happen, he just sees the way it is and tries to do what he can to manage his own feelings.
Soon after, he left the Avengers, returning several years later in 1992. The Wasp was not a member at this point, and since his crush had apparently dissipated by this time, he should have been doing just fine, and hopefully learned his lesson about realistic romantic goals. Also a member at this time was the beautiful Crystal, wife (separated but trying to reconcile) of Quicksilver.
And so begins one of the most uncomfortable bits of soap opera in the history of the Avengers, and a period during which the reader finds herself wondering whether some of these people have any ethical constraints whatsoever. It's also a painfully convoluted tale, and one I'm going to simplify considerably because otherwise I'd never get this written.
Dane was impressed from the start with Crystal's tactical ability and battle experience (once again, competence and skill are the first thing he notices about a potential love interest), but it wasn't long before he (sigh) started to think of her as more than a teammate. Crystal, unlike Jan, is no flirt--but she is a genuinely sweet-natured, open-hearted, warm, nice person who cares deeply about her friends. She has her issues and isn't necessarily the most emotionally mature person in any solar system, but until relatively recently she had yet to discover her inner regal bitch (see the Son of M mini). Before then, she may have been shown to be selfish, but never malicious.
When the kind-hearted Inhuman offered to help the Vision regain some of his lost emotions, Dane reacted protectively, citing a concern for her emotional state and telling the Vision that "she's looking for someone to be her support, her pillar of strength, and you kinda fit the bill," although he denied the existence of any inappropriate feeling.
Pretty soon Dane himself realized that he hadn't been quite honest with either the Vision or himself about how he felt about Crystal. Hey, it happens--a person develops a crush on someone else who is married or otherwise taken. It's unfortunate, but he can't help what he feels, and as long as he doesn't act on it, it's his own problem and no one else's. And he does his best, by trying to avoid too much contact with her, to stay away and not make his feelings known, and hopefully to get over them. So far, so good.
But it wasn't easy. As an Avenger, he had to see Crystal every day. He had to see her with her estranged husband (and former Avenger), Quicksilver. He had to deal with his own jealousy, and try his best to honestly wish her success in their reconciliation--because, really, he is a good person. It's just that when the heart is involved, even good people can find themselves thinking and doing things they really wish they wouldn't. And the Knight's heart is so easily involved.
And then there was Sersi, the mighty Eternal who had taken a shine to Dane, and wasn't the least bit shy about making her desires known. He didn't love her, but that didn't seem to matter to Sersi because she wanted him.
And as if things weren't complicated enough, Crystal herself had begun to be aware of some feelings for Dane. Not that she stopped loving her husband, that would have been too simple--but for someone like Crystal, so often led by emotion, it was difficult.
Sersi, for her part, continued to push her unwanted attentions on Dane, and eventually--worn down by Sersi's need, and desiring to do the right thing and not interfere with Crystal's troubled marriage--he agreed to become her...well, her, um...
All right, a bit of background. Sersi had been experiencing some mental and emotional difficulties, and there had been indications that she might become dangerous. The other Eternals came to get her and bring her home where she could be helped, or at least made harmless. The Avengers were disinclined to allow the removal of one of their members, but it was Dane who saved her by agreeing to become her "gann josin," which according to the Eternal Sprite was "an intimate version of the Uni-mind, a type of bonding that creates a mental union between two people and makes them lifelong soulmates." Dane was told this by Sprite because Sersi hadn't bothered to provide any meaningful context whatsoever. It's possible that, given this new information, he might have had second thoughts--only he wasn't given the chance. Without warning, the Eternal Ikaris performed the ritual transforming Dane. In a moment he was violated, mentally and emotionally:
And if that wasn't enough trauma and angst for one issue, Crystal chose that same evening to let him know that she, too, had feelings for him--and that "Pietro and I tried, but he rejected me at our last meeting." And, you know, Dane is a good guy. He tries to do the right thing. But here he had just been assaulted by a godlike being and forcibly linked to a woman he didn't love, and was already feeling the beginning of that unwelcome connection. And Crystal--the woman he did love, tells him (in rather uncertain terms, but still) that she is pretty much giving up on her marriage, or at least no longer committed to saving it. Can you really blame him if, in a moment of weakness, he takes that bit of hope and says to her "seize the moment...let's stop being noble" and, finally, kisses her? It's not heroic, but it's human, and it's understandable.
As for the rest, the next several issues were filled with steamy glances, hidden passions, regrets and the ever-present threat of Sersi's growing insanity. Finally Sersi, in a fit of rage, comes near killing Crystal, a shock that breaks the gann josin bond so that she and Dane are no longer connected. Eventually (I did say "spoilers," right?) we learn that Sersi was not responsible for any deaths, and in fact was being driven insane artificially, by an enemy. Unfortunately, by the time this was discovered she was too far gone, and elected to go alone through a dimensional rift into a pocket reality where she would be safe and cured, and could live out her days, sane and at peace. At the last moment, Dane decided to go with her--out of kindness and friendship, not of love--but he went, so that she would not be alone there.
See, that's why the Black Knight is cool. Not because he's ever going to be a major player in the Marvel Universe, because he isn't. Because he's human, and he struggles with what's right, and sometimes he falters, but in the end he is always going to come through, he is always going to make the right choice, not the easy choice. (Well, we can argue the point of whether going with Sersi was in fact the right choice--but he believed that it was.) That momentary lapse with Crystal? Not good, but under the circumstances, and after the assault and subsequent violent change he had just undergone, it was understandable. It was human. And inevitably, he fought off the temptation. Because he's a good man.
But damn, the man cannot pick a woman.
Superhero comics are known for having their portion of soap opera--loves lost, lost loves, dead loves and used-to-be-dead loves. While these tendencies vary with storyline and creative team, there are some characters who just seem prone to romantic problems--Spiderman comes to mind of course, and few heroes anywhere got as much action or as much hearthbreak as Iron Man. And just as in real life--where we all know someone who, if it weren't for bad luck, would have no luck at all in the romantic arena--there are comic book heroes who, in their personal lives, seem to make nothing but bad choices.
Case in point: Dane Whitman, the Black Knight. A Marvel second-stringer who has never had his own ongoing series but has been featured in several team books, the Black Knight just can't seem to find a woman who is interested, available, and stable. (Sometimes he manages two out of three.)
When he first encountered the Avengers back in 196? (issue #49), he was too busy fighting them to think about anything else. It was one of those typical hero-meets-heroes, heroes-think-hero-is-a-villain, hero-and-heroes-do-battle things. (It didn't help matters that Dane had taken the Black Knight mantle from his uncle, who had in fact been a super-villain and fought the Avengers in the past.) The confusion was inevitable, although eventually the Avengers figured out that this was not their old foe, but someone entirely different. In any case, at this time they parted on thorny terms.
He later joined the Avengers but went immediately to reserve status, so we didn't see a lot of him then either.
But when he finally had an extended term as an active Avenger, then we got to see him in action. This was in 1985, around issue 255. Among his fellow Avengers was Janet van Dyne, the wonderful Wasp, who was then acting as chair of the group. Jan, as always, was confident, outgoing, friendly and flirtatious. With everyone. She has almost always been portrayed that way. It's just the way she is, and it means nothing.
However, when an emotionally needy young Knight is the other party in these interactions, misunderstandings can arise. And pretty soon you've got this sort of thing going on:
But you know, this also shows one of the reasons the Black Knight is one of my favorite Avengers. Yes, here he is thinking about making his move...but do you notice why he's attracted to Jan? It's because of her confidence, her competence, her leadership skills! Impressive, even if he hasn't got a chance with her.
A few issues later, Jan and Dan are on--well, not a date, although I imagine he's thinking of it that way. She's asked him to accompany her to a celebrity gala for charity, one of the many good works of the Avengers in the mid-80s. They should have a wonderful time, if they can only run the press gauntlet. The reporters demand to know about the rumors of the Submariner (at this time an Avenger) having left the team. Jan stutters in surprise, Namor is only taking a leave of absence. The press continues to push the issue, and neither Jan nor Dane have ready answers. While the Knight stumbles to find his words, the press is distracted by the arrival at the gala of the dashing Paladin, the fellow the lovely Wasp is actually going out with at this point in time. She is, of course, thrilled and delighted to see him. The Knight is, of course, not. And it's none too long until his frustration comes to the fore:
(Jan's reaction, naturally, is somewhere in the area of "WTF?")
Not long after that, Dane realizes that his affection is unrequited and likely to stay that way, and attempts to fix the situation, managing to maintain a vaguely charming cluelessness with just a tinge of pathetic. He's set his cap for a woman who simply isn't interested in him in that way, and he takes responsibility for it--he doesn't blame her for her lack of interest, he doesn't try to press the issue when he sees that it's not going to happen, he just sees the way it is and tries to do what he can to manage his own feelings.
Soon after, he left the Avengers, returning several years later in 1992. The Wasp was not a member at this point, and since his crush had apparently dissipated by this time, he should have been doing just fine, and hopefully learned his lesson about realistic romantic goals. Also a member at this time was the beautiful Crystal, wife (separated but trying to reconcile) of Quicksilver.
And so begins one of the most uncomfortable bits of soap opera in the history of the Avengers, and a period during which the reader finds herself wondering whether some of these people have any ethical constraints whatsoever. It's also a painfully convoluted tale, and one I'm going to simplify considerably because otherwise I'd never get this written.
Dane was impressed from the start with Crystal's tactical ability and battle experience (once again, competence and skill are the first thing he notices about a potential love interest), but it wasn't long before he (sigh) started to think of her as more than a teammate. Crystal, unlike Jan, is no flirt--but she is a genuinely sweet-natured, open-hearted, warm, nice person who cares deeply about her friends. She has her issues and isn't necessarily the most emotionally mature person in any solar system, but until relatively recently she had yet to discover her inner regal bitch (see the Son of M mini). Before then, she may have been shown to be selfish, but never malicious.
When the kind-hearted Inhuman offered to help the Vision regain some of his lost emotions, Dane reacted protectively, citing a concern for her emotional state and telling the Vision that "she's looking for someone to be her support, her pillar of strength, and you kinda fit the bill," although he denied the existence of any inappropriate feeling.
Pretty soon Dane himself realized that he hadn't been quite honest with either the Vision or himself about how he felt about Crystal. Hey, it happens--a person develops a crush on someone else who is married or otherwise taken. It's unfortunate, but he can't help what he feels, and as long as he doesn't act on it, it's his own problem and no one else's. And he does his best, by trying to avoid too much contact with her, to stay away and not make his feelings known, and hopefully to get over them. So far, so good.
But it wasn't easy. As an Avenger, he had to see Crystal every day. He had to see her with her estranged husband (and former Avenger), Quicksilver. He had to deal with his own jealousy, and try his best to honestly wish her success in their reconciliation--because, really, he is a good person. It's just that when the heart is involved, even good people can find themselves thinking and doing things they really wish they wouldn't. And the Knight's heart is so easily involved.
And then there was Sersi, the mighty Eternal who had taken a shine to Dane, and wasn't the least bit shy about making her desires known. He didn't love her, but that didn't seem to matter to Sersi because she wanted him.
And as if things weren't complicated enough, Crystal herself had begun to be aware of some feelings for Dane. Not that she stopped loving her husband, that would have been too simple--but for someone like Crystal, so often led by emotion, it was difficult.
Sersi, for her part, continued to push her unwanted attentions on Dane, and eventually--worn down by Sersi's need, and desiring to do the right thing and not interfere with Crystal's troubled marriage--he agreed to become her...well, her, um...
All right, a bit of background. Sersi had been experiencing some mental and emotional difficulties, and there had been indications that she might become dangerous. The other Eternals came to get her and bring her home where she could be helped, or at least made harmless. The Avengers were disinclined to allow the removal of one of their members, but it was Dane who saved her by agreeing to become her "gann josin," which according to the Eternal Sprite was "an intimate version of the Uni-mind, a type of bonding that creates a mental union between two people and makes them lifelong soulmates." Dane was told this by Sprite because Sersi hadn't bothered to provide any meaningful context whatsoever. It's possible that, given this new information, he might have had second thoughts--only he wasn't given the chance. Without warning, the Eternal Ikaris performed the ritual transforming Dane. In a moment he was violated, mentally and emotionally:
And if that wasn't enough trauma and angst for one issue, Crystal chose that same evening to let him know that she, too, had feelings for him--and that "Pietro and I tried, but he rejected me at our last meeting." And, you know, Dane is a good guy. He tries to do the right thing. But here he had just been assaulted by a godlike being and forcibly linked to a woman he didn't love, and was already feeling the beginning of that unwelcome connection. And Crystal--the woman he did love, tells him (in rather uncertain terms, but still) that she is pretty much giving up on her marriage, or at least no longer committed to saving it. Can you really blame him if, in a moment of weakness, he takes that bit of hope and says to her "seize the moment...let's stop being noble" and, finally, kisses her? It's not heroic, but it's human, and it's understandable.
As for the rest, the next several issues were filled with steamy glances, hidden passions, regrets and the ever-present threat of Sersi's growing insanity. Finally Sersi, in a fit of rage, comes near killing Crystal, a shock that breaks the gann josin bond so that she and Dane are no longer connected. Eventually (I did say "spoilers," right?) we learn that Sersi was not responsible for any deaths, and in fact was being driven insane artificially, by an enemy. Unfortunately, by the time this was discovered she was too far gone, and elected to go alone through a dimensional rift into a pocket reality where she would be safe and cured, and could live out her days, sane and at peace. At the last moment, Dane decided to go with her--out of kindness and friendship, not of love--but he went, so that she would not be alone there.
See, that's why the Black Knight is cool. Not because he's ever going to be a major player in the Marvel Universe, because he isn't. Because he's human, and he struggles with what's right, and sometimes he falters, but in the end he is always going to come through, he is always going to make the right choice, not the easy choice. (Well, we can argue the point of whether going with Sersi was in fact the right choice--but he believed that it was.) That momentary lapse with Crystal? Not good, but under the circumstances, and after the assault and subsequent violent change he had just undergone, it was understandable. It was human. And inevitably, he fought off the temptation. Because he's a good man.
But damn, the man cannot pick a woman.
Friday, November 17, 2006
And now some Silver Age Wonder Woman goodness
Most of my old comics are sorted and in approximate order. Many are even bagged, although not boarded. But I do have a few boxes containing an assortment of books I didn't buy regularly, including some of the books I had as a young child (the ones that, somehow, managed to avoid destruction). This post is about a comic from that box.
The year was 1968. I had just turned six. And this Wonder Woman book was the only choice that day for me:
and it would have been for you, too, had you been a six-year-old girl. The cover promised pure awesomeness: the good Wonder Woman as a little girl, cowering before the great big evil Wonder Woman, who's obviously about to go all Joan Crawford on her. Obviously the story within would be even better--the triumph of good over evil, or youth over age, or both? A great battle wherein the good little Wonder Woman would win by use of her wits?
Well, no. First of all, here's how WW got into the situation in the first place. She's out on a date with Steve Trevor. They are attacked by an evil (you can tell he's evil because he's ugly) villain with a massive crush on WW, who ties Steve to a rock in the middle of a shark-filled pool and threatens to have him killed unless WW kisses him like she means it.
So Wonder Woman has a dilemma. On the one hand, she can save Steve by kissing the Gargoyle, and Steve will dump her because he's such a jerk. On the other hand, she can refuse to kiss the Gargoyle and Steve will be eaten by sharks. Well, okay, that's not such a dilemma--more of a win-win, really, in that in either case Steve is gone. But long-suffering Diana doesn't see it that way, bites the bullet and saves Steve. The ungrateful bastard.
Steve, in an apparently-typical overreaction and despite having already been saved from certain death, managed to throw enough of a fit that he flings himself into the shark pool. Again Diana is forced to save him, this time getting away from the Gargoyle herself as well. Beside herself with grief at the loss of Steve, she takes him in her nifty invisible plane to her own private island, where she attempts to save both his life and his love for her. Didn't know that that Purple Healing Ray also had a "Brainwash" setting, did you?
Poor Wonder Woman. Here she thinks she's got Steve back where she wants him (as for why she wants him, that's another matter) and here's another Wonder Woman from a parallel universe, ready to snatch him up as if he had no will of his own whatsoever (hm...). When the good WW asks her mom for advice, she's told to challenge the evil WW to a contest, with Steve as the prize. Her counterpart readily agrees, but stipulates that the contest must take place on her own home turf and that if she wins, Steve must stay with her (to which he happily accedes, fickle sonoabitch that he is).
(Please note that the matter of how this evil WW got from one Earth to the other is almost entirely ignored. To get to the evil WW's home world, each WW flies her plane into a mysterious cloud and comes out on the other side. One would think that if that's all it takes, there'd be interdimensional plane travel taking place accidentally all the time in the Silver Age DC universe. There isn't, is there?)
In any case, there they are, and the contests begin. At first the two Wonder Women are evenly matched, but pretty soon our WW finds herself falling behind, because in this world she is mysteriously turned into a teenager. Don't ask why, I didn't, but of course I was six. From then on, things go from bad to worse:
and the good little Wonder Woman is easily trounced by her older, stronger, eviller counterpart. But just when it looks as if our heroine will get to go home alone, leaving Steve stranded in that evil universe, never to return (hooray!)...
Sigh. Well, at least we don't actually see a kiss. Personally I'm hoping that she actually decided to kick him out of the plane at this point, or at least give him a firm slap across the head. That's my happy ending for this story.
Oh, and in case the reader happened to miss the point, here's the comic's author (I have to assume) making sure to drive it home:
So...did she lose? Yes. Yes, she did.
Oh, and Blogger tells me that this is my 100th post! Amazing, I feel like I just started this thing.
The year was 1968. I had just turned six. And this Wonder Woman book was the only choice that day for me:
and it would have been for you, too, had you been a six-year-old girl. The cover promised pure awesomeness: the good Wonder Woman as a little girl, cowering before the great big evil Wonder Woman, who's obviously about to go all Joan Crawford on her. Obviously the story within would be even better--the triumph of good over evil, or youth over age, or both? A great battle wherein the good little Wonder Woman would win by use of her wits?
Well, no. First of all, here's how WW got into the situation in the first place. She's out on a date with Steve Trevor. They are attacked by an evil (you can tell he's evil because he's ugly) villain with a massive crush on WW, who ties Steve to a rock in the middle of a shark-filled pool and threatens to have him killed unless WW kisses him like she means it.
So Wonder Woman has a dilemma. On the one hand, she can save Steve by kissing the Gargoyle, and Steve will dump her because he's such a jerk. On the other hand, she can refuse to kiss the Gargoyle and Steve will be eaten by sharks. Well, okay, that's not such a dilemma--more of a win-win, really, in that in either case Steve is gone. But long-suffering Diana doesn't see it that way, bites the bullet and saves Steve. The ungrateful bastard.
Steve, in an apparently-typical overreaction and despite having already been saved from certain death, managed to throw enough of a fit that he flings himself into the shark pool. Again Diana is forced to save him, this time getting away from the Gargoyle herself as well. Beside herself with grief at the loss of Steve, she takes him in her nifty invisible plane to her own private island, where she attempts to save both his life and his love for her. Didn't know that that Purple Healing Ray also had a "Brainwash" setting, did you?
Poor Wonder Woman. Here she thinks she's got Steve back where she wants him (as for why she wants him, that's another matter) and here's another Wonder Woman from a parallel universe, ready to snatch him up as if he had no will of his own whatsoever (hm...). When the good WW asks her mom for advice, she's told to challenge the evil WW to a contest, with Steve as the prize. Her counterpart readily agrees, but stipulates that the contest must take place on her own home turf and that if she wins, Steve must stay with her (to which he happily accedes, fickle sonoabitch that he is).
(Please note that the matter of how this evil WW got from one Earth to the other is almost entirely ignored. To get to the evil WW's home world, each WW flies her plane into a mysterious cloud and comes out on the other side. One would think that if that's all it takes, there'd be interdimensional plane travel taking place accidentally all the time in the Silver Age DC universe. There isn't, is there?)
In any case, there they are, and the contests begin. At first the two Wonder Women are evenly matched, but pretty soon our WW finds herself falling behind, because in this world she is mysteriously turned into a teenager. Don't ask why, I didn't, but of course I was six. From then on, things go from bad to worse:
and the good little Wonder Woman is easily trounced by her older, stronger, eviller counterpart. But just when it looks as if our heroine will get to go home alone, leaving Steve stranded in that evil universe, never to return (hooray!)...
Sigh. Well, at least we don't actually see a kiss. Personally I'm hoping that she actually decided to kick him out of the plane at this point, or at least give him a firm slap across the head. That's my happy ending for this story.
Oh, and in case the reader happened to miss the point, here's the comic's author (I have to assume) making sure to drive it home:
So...did she lose? Yes. Yes, she did.
Oh, and Blogger tells me that this is my 100th post! Amazing, I feel like I just started this thing.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Silver Age Supergirl: Fashionista!
The cover sets the stage in this 1970 issue of Supergirl. Eight-year-old Brainfreeze eagerly snatched this one up, carefully perusing the cover to make up my own mind as to which new costume Supergirl should choose. (I liked the one with the jagged boot tops and skirt, btw.)
Apparently DC had run a contest wherein readers could send in their own costume designs. Clever idea, and I think the Legion of Superheroes did something similar at some point.
In this story, Linda Danvers (Supergirl's alter ego) is a college girl in a funk. Since there's a "girl" in Supergirl, there is but one way for her to brush away her blues:
And who does she see in the clothing store but Wonder Woman, who has given up her superhero lifestyle and now runs her very own boutique. No wonder Supergirl is envious!
But even though Linda is all girl (as she's just proven to the reader), she still makes time for her superheroic duties. Here she investigates a young woman who has mysteriously appeared, comatose, on the Stanhope campus:
Um, can Supergirl do that? Read minds, I mean? Because this is the first I've heard of it.
(The girl, incidentally, had been traumatized by her experiences with an evil cult operating on campus. Because, you know, 1970.)
But Supergirl isn't the only one here displaying heretofore-unknown abilities. Here she again makes use of her Kryptonian super-telepathy, while Wonder Woman...casts a circle and conjures up a spirit?
The spirit, Morganna, is an old foe of Diana's, and is none too happy to be summoned--until she's told who is running the cult, and is then only too happy to lend a hand:
Fortunately for Linda, Diana just happened to have a brand spanking new Supergirl costume hanging on the rack! You wouldn't think there would be a lot of market for that sort of thing, but there you go.
And what about the indestructible part? Supergirl flies into volcanos, acid baths, the cold vacuum of space. Is this new costume going to hold up to that sort of thing? I'm guessing not. I'm guessing that the next time she goes into a burning building to rescue a baby, she's going to come out minus some costume. It's not a good thing.
Apparently DC had run a contest wherein readers could send in their own costume designs. Clever idea, and I think the Legion of Superheroes did something similar at some point.
In this story, Linda Danvers (Supergirl's alter ego) is a college girl in a funk. Since there's a "girl" in Supergirl, there is but one way for her to brush away her blues:
And who does she see in the clothing store but Wonder Woman, who has given up her superhero lifestyle and now runs her very own boutique. No wonder Supergirl is envious!
But even though Linda is all girl (as she's just proven to the reader), she still makes time for her superheroic duties. Here she investigates a young woman who has mysteriously appeared, comatose, on the Stanhope campus:
Um, can Supergirl do that? Read minds, I mean? Because this is the first I've heard of it.
(The girl, incidentally, had been traumatized by her experiences with an evil cult operating on campus. Because, you know, 1970.)
But Supergirl isn't the only one here displaying heretofore-unknown abilities. Here she again makes use of her Kryptonian super-telepathy, while Wonder Woman...casts a circle and conjures up a spirit?
The spirit, Morganna, is an old foe of Diana's, and is none too happy to be summoned--until she's told who is running the cult, and is then only too happy to lend a hand:
Fortunately for Linda, Diana just happened to have a brand spanking new Supergirl costume hanging on the rack! You wouldn't think there would be a lot of market for that sort of thing, but there you go.
And what about the indestructible part? Supergirl flies into volcanos, acid baths, the cold vacuum of space. Is this new costume going to hold up to that sort of thing? I'm guessing not. I'm guessing that the next time she goes into a burning building to rescue a baby, she's going to come out minus some costume. It's not a good thing.
Monday, November 13, 2006
More Silver Age Love Triangle Action [Spoilers for Avengers 114-128]
Now, I dug into the longboxes again for this one. I hate going into the longboxes in the winter. It's cold. They're heavy. But the search is always worthwhile.
I had so much fun looking once again at FF #132 (see a couple of posts ago) that I decided to dig into the Avengers box for some real early-70s comic book soap opera. This one took place at around the same time (1973). The poor fellow having his heart ripped to shreds this time? The Swordsman.
The Swordsman got his start back in the sixties, as primarily a Hawkeye villain--he had more or less mentored the young Hawk in his carnival days, and only later revealed himself to be a crook. He had battled the Avengers a while back. Now, however...well, here's my problem. He joined up with the Avengers in issue #114. My collection of Avengers starts with issue #115 (with a few scattered earlier issues). I don't actually know how it came about that he became an Avenger, not really. From what I was able to glean, he had continued with his criminal ways for quite a while, and then met a young woman, Mantis, who had convinced him to reform. The Avengers have a history of giving a second chance to super-powered not-quite-heroes, so there's nothing unbelievable about this. Mantis, who accompanied him, was a highly skilled martial arts expert who possessed a number of other, more mysterious powers as well.
So, all well and good, the former villain has been saved by the love of a good woman, just like in countless novels and movies before. I don't think this would fly today (witness my own reactions to the recent Black Adam/Isis interactions in 52) but in 1973 the ten-year-olds weren't looking far beyond the surface and I certainly bought the premise.
Here are the Swordsman and Mantis, the happy couple, shortly after their arrival at Avengers Mansion. Did I mention that these two had one of the most dysfunctional, codependent relationships in the entire Marvel Universe? Because they did. And here they are, helpfully encapsulating the weakly-rooted origin of their relationship. The Swordsman loves Mantis because she helped him to become a better man, gave him something to lean on when he needed it (which, as you'll see, was most of the time). She provides for him not only a moral compass but the strength that should come from within. As for Mantis, all she wants is "a strong, heroic man." One wonders about this, given that Mantis herself has a great deal of personal power and skill, but there you go--she needs to feel protected and safe. And while there is a definite interdependency, it's clear even at this point in the story that she does not need him as he needs her. (Please note a small indication of his jealousy/insecurity in the first panel.)
And above we see the beginning of the end for these two. The Swordsman, in true John Wayne fashion (seriously, I've seen John Wayne do this in a movie), has played the tough guy and ignored a potentially serious injury until this point--where he collapses and is carried of by Mantis to rest until his injury heals. Now, if this happened in a comic now, I wouldn't think much about it (apart from a quick "what an idiot!"). Thirty years ago, and particularly given the nature of the relatinship between Swordsman and Mantis? She wants a strong man. In this moment, he is no longer that. The fact that it is Mantis herself who is carrying him underlines a disparity in their power. Not that Mantis herself sees it this way at this point--but it's there, a visual cue, for the reader.
While the Swordsman is recovering, Mantis and the other Avengers (although she was not herself a member at this time, she helped out quite a bit) go off to battle against the crime cartel Zodiac. Their schtick was that each member dressed up like a sign of the Zodiac (Aries as a ram, Leo as a lion, and so forth). Although Mantis made an excellent showing, she was eventually defeated and thrown from a roof. Her saviour is the Vision, and she is damned impressed with him:
The Swordsman, sidelined from the battle due to his own injuries, is beside himself with worry. The Vision does not help matters with his comments here:
Is something going on here? wonders the Swordsman. Well, no, at least not from the Vision's point of view. He is in love with Wanda, and that's all there is to that. But the Vision is new to human interaction, and even if he were not, the Swordsman's irrational jealousy wouldn't be something he would take into consideration when praising a teammate's skill and valor as he does here. (The Swordsman doesn't know that Mantis herself has developed an appreciation for the android. His reaction here is based entirely on his own feelings.)
However, he will have no doubts about Mantis's own interests after he sees this:
There's a lot of action in these books as well, but I'm not writing about it here other than to put some of the soap into context. The Avengers continue to battle Zodiac. A member of Zodiac, Libra, jumps ship, revealing himself to be the father of Mantis and telling a long, sad tale of her life up to this point. Mantis is enraged--her own memories are of a happy childhood, not one in which her mother was tragically killed. She attacks Libra, and when the Avengers try to stop her she beats the crap out of them. Even Thor. Finally she is restrained by Libra himself.
Just then the Swordsman, who has overheard Libra's story and is desperate to redeem himself for his perceived weakness in Mantis' eyes, takes a plane and goes off after the man who killed her mother:
This...does not go as well as he might have hoped:
In fact, at this point the Swordsman pretty much melts into a big puddle of emo. I remember, as a child, feeling tremendously sorry for him, even though I'm sure I didn't grasp the entirety of his situation.
Honestly, from here on in it's all downhill. The Swordsman recovers his strength and attempts to function as an Avenger, but so overwhelmed is he with the inevitable loss of Mantis that he can barely hold it together enough to do his heroing, picking fights with the Vision in the middle of battle:
The Vision is, again, clueless. And now poor Wanda is brought into the mix:
Pretty soon Avengers mansion is filled with the expectation of loss, with angst, with fear, with smoldering glances, and no one can get any work done:
And yes, the Silver Age Vision (much as I adore him) could be a real dick. He has, obviously, no idea of how to handle this development. It's hard enough for him to deal with the relatively straightforward (if in many ways problematic) relationship he and Wanda share. There's no way he is able to comprehend the twisted dynamic of the relationship of the Swordsman and Mantis, into which he and Wanda have been drawn through no fault of their own. He doesn't understand why Wanda is so upset--understandable--and he's not all that interested in why. Granted that she is trying to have a big relationship talk in the middle of a battle:
For his part, the Swordsman is digging his hole deeper and deeper. He can see the writing on the wall, and he has no idea what to do to regain Mantis' love, which is so obviously slipping away:
She has decided that he can no longer give her what she believes she needs (a strong, self-sufficient man), and is thus no longer willing to give him what he needs from her.
Now, I don't remember this next bit from way back when I first read it, but I liked it quite a bit this time. Wanda has just been offered magical training by Agatha Harkness, and has jumped at the opportunity. Although she has been concerned about the Vision and Mantis, she doesn't let that distract her from her work:
Since Wanda was historically someone without a lot of focus--due in part, I'm sure, to the very arbitrary nature of her mutant hex power (what could it do? whatever the writers needed it to do) so it's nice to see, here, her trying to take charge of her own abilities, and giving that priority over relationship issues.
Meanwhile, other Avengers are more concerned with purely personal matters, as Mantis finally makes her break with the Swordsman:
and he, devastated, falls apart entirely. Mantis, for her part, having made up her mind, moves quickly...
...but to no avail. The Vision is not interested, and tells her so in no uncertain terms.
Go Vision! I knew it all the time.
Back to the action, the Avengers are attacked by Kang, who starts off the Celestial Madonna Saga by kidnapping not only every woman in the mansion (that would be Mantis, the Scarlet Witch, and Agatha Harkness) but all the men as well.
All but one:
Yeah, you know you're pathetic when even supervillains don't think you're worth their while.
But the Swordsman would get his chance. He's contacted by Agatha Harkness, who instructs him on how to reach the captive Avengers in Egypt. In a pyramid, of course. And he tries, he really does, but--at this point--he is still not making the best of impressions. He breaks into the pyramid easily enough, due to past experience as a tomb robber, but when he is confronted with the dangers within it, his emotional state catches up with him:
He stumbles his way through passages, somehow finding himself near Kang. What luck! But just when he's about to blast Kang with his sword, he is stopped by--Rama-Tut. End of story.
I say "end of story" because, well, I'm missing the next part. It was in Giant Size Avengers 2, which I lack. I did, however, take a quick look in Wikipedia, from which I learned that he dies saving Mantis from Kang, at which point she realizes (of course) that she really does love him after all, and redeems himself, and all that good stuff.
There are a few things that struck me about this story during the rereading.
First is how much I dislike the character of Mantis. I don't think even the ten-year-old me was that enthralled with her, since I thought she was pretty mean (although she had easily the best powers of any woman I'd seen up to that point), but now? Manipulative, self-centered, willing to break up not only her own relationship but someone else's in order to get what she wants, she's portrayed very negatively. She destroyed the Swordsman. And yet she was firmly on the side of the heroes. How often--thirty years ago--did we see someone not a villain whose character was so unlikable?
Second has to do with how damned stereotypical Mantis' character is. She's Asian, therefore she knows martial arts, has awareness beyond the understanding of Western folk, and is basically inscrutable. (Granted that we later learn that she was in fact trained by the Kree, but the point still stands.) She possessed a number of gender-stereotypical characteristics as well--the deference to the Swordsman, the stated need for "a strong man." Although I'm not sure how deep those went, she certainly displayed an abhorrance and scorn for a man who was not stereotypically strong, brave and heroic, equally as unrealistic, and certainly equally as disastrous for the Swordsman who tried to live up to her ideals in order to keep her..
Third is how fully the younger me bought into the notion that it was at all appropriate for either one of these people to be so responsible for the other's well-being. The notion of being saved by "the love of a good woman" (and destroye by its loss)? Not until we saw the results of that utter dependency, the weakness and incapacity born of drawing all of one's strength from another person, did I as a kid realize that there was something fundamentally wrong there. That was, I think, a pretty big thing to do in a comic in 1973--to write against the common ideal in that way.
I had so much fun looking once again at FF #132 (see a couple of posts ago) that I decided to dig into the Avengers box for some real early-70s comic book soap opera. This one took place at around the same time (1973). The poor fellow having his heart ripped to shreds this time? The Swordsman.
The Swordsman got his start back in the sixties, as primarily a Hawkeye villain--he had more or less mentored the young Hawk in his carnival days, and only later revealed himself to be a crook. He had battled the Avengers a while back. Now, however...well, here's my problem. He joined up with the Avengers in issue #114. My collection of Avengers starts with issue #115 (with a few scattered earlier issues). I don't actually know how it came about that he became an Avenger, not really. From what I was able to glean, he had continued with his criminal ways for quite a while, and then met a young woman, Mantis, who had convinced him to reform. The Avengers have a history of giving a second chance to super-powered not-quite-heroes, so there's nothing unbelievable about this. Mantis, who accompanied him, was a highly skilled martial arts expert who possessed a number of other, more mysterious powers as well.
So, all well and good, the former villain has been saved by the love of a good woman, just like in countless novels and movies before. I don't think this would fly today (witness my own reactions to the recent Black Adam/Isis interactions in 52) but in 1973 the ten-year-olds weren't looking far beyond the surface and I certainly bought the premise.
Here are the Swordsman and Mantis, the happy couple, shortly after their arrival at Avengers Mansion. Did I mention that these two had one of the most dysfunctional, codependent relationships in the entire Marvel Universe? Because they did. And here they are, helpfully encapsulating the weakly-rooted origin of their relationship. The Swordsman loves Mantis because she helped him to become a better man, gave him something to lean on when he needed it (which, as you'll see, was most of the time). She provides for him not only a moral compass but the strength that should come from within. As for Mantis, all she wants is "a strong, heroic man." One wonders about this, given that Mantis herself has a great deal of personal power and skill, but there you go--she needs to feel protected and safe. And while there is a definite interdependency, it's clear even at this point in the story that she does not need him as he needs her. (Please note a small indication of his jealousy/insecurity in the first panel.)
And above we see the beginning of the end for these two. The Swordsman, in true John Wayne fashion (seriously, I've seen John Wayne do this in a movie), has played the tough guy and ignored a potentially serious injury until this point--where he collapses and is carried of by Mantis to rest until his injury heals. Now, if this happened in a comic now, I wouldn't think much about it (apart from a quick "what an idiot!"). Thirty years ago, and particularly given the nature of the relatinship between Swordsman and Mantis? She wants a strong man. In this moment, he is no longer that. The fact that it is Mantis herself who is carrying him underlines a disparity in their power. Not that Mantis herself sees it this way at this point--but it's there, a visual cue, for the reader.
While the Swordsman is recovering, Mantis and the other Avengers (although she was not herself a member at this time, she helped out quite a bit) go off to battle against the crime cartel Zodiac. Their schtick was that each member dressed up like a sign of the Zodiac (Aries as a ram, Leo as a lion, and so forth). Although Mantis made an excellent showing, she was eventually defeated and thrown from a roof. Her saviour is the Vision, and she is damned impressed with him:
The Swordsman, sidelined from the battle due to his own injuries, is beside himself with worry. The Vision does not help matters with his comments here:
Is something going on here? wonders the Swordsman. Well, no, at least not from the Vision's point of view. He is in love with Wanda, and that's all there is to that. But the Vision is new to human interaction, and even if he were not, the Swordsman's irrational jealousy wouldn't be something he would take into consideration when praising a teammate's skill and valor as he does here. (The Swordsman doesn't know that Mantis herself has developed an appreciation for the android. His reaction here is based entirely on his own feelings.)
However, he will have no doubts about Mantis's own interests after he sees this:
There's a lot of action in these books as well, but I'm not writing about it here other than to put some of the soap into context. The Avengers continue to battle Zodiac. A member of Zodiac, Libra, jumps ship, revealing himself to be the father of Mantis and telling a long, sad tale of her life up to this point. Mantis is enraged--her own memories are of a happy childhood, not one in which her mother was tragically killed. She attacks Libra, and when the Avengers try to stop her she beats the crap out of them. Even Thor. Finally she is restrained by Libra himself.
Just then the Swordsman, who has overheard Libra's story and is desperate to redeem himself for his perceived weakness in Mantis' eyes, takes a plane and goes off after the man who killed her mother:
This...does not go as well as he might have hoped:
In fact, at this point the Swordsman pretty much melts into a big puddle of emo. I remember, as a child, feeling tremendously sorry for him, even though I'm sure I didn't grasp the entirety of his situation.
Honestly, from here on in it's all downhill. The Swordsman recovers his strength and attempts to function as an Avenger, but so overwhelmed is he with the inevitable loss of Mantis that he can barely hold it together enough to do his heroing, picking fights with the Vision in the middle of battle:
The Vision is, again, clueless. And now poor Wanda is brought into the mix:
Pretty soon Avengers mansion is filled with the expectation of loss, with angst, with fear, with smoldering glances, and no one can get any work done:
And yes, the Silver Age Vision (much as I adore him) could be a real dick. He has, obviously, no idea of how to handle this development. It's hard enough for him to deal with the relatively straightforward (if in many ways problematic) relationship he and Wanda share. There's no way he is able to comprehend the twisted dynamic of the relationship of the Swordsman and Mantis, into which he and Wanda have been drawn through no fault of their own. He doesn't understand why Wanda is so upset--understandable--and he's not all that interested in why. Granted that she is trying to have a big relationship talk in the middle of a battle:
For his part, the Swordsman is digging his hole deeper and deeper. He can see the writing on the wall, and he has no idea what to do to regain Mantis' love, which is so obviously slipping away:
She has decided that he can no longer give her what she believes she needs (a strong, self-sufficient man), and is thus no longer willing to give him what he needs from her.
Now, I don't remember this next bit from way back when I first read it, but I liked it quite a bit this time. Wanda has just been offered magical training by Agatha Harkness, and has jumped at the opportunity. Although she has been concerned about the Vision and Mantis, she doesn't let that distract her from her work:
Since Wanda was historically someone without a lot of focus--due in part, I'm sure, to the very arbitrary nature of her mutant hex power (what could it do? whatever the writers needed it to do) so it's nice to see, here, her trying to take charge of her own abilities, and giving that priority over relationship issues.
Meanwhile, other Avengers are more concerned with purely personal matters, as Mantis finally makes her break with the Swordsman:
and he, devastated, falls apart entirely. Mantis, for her part, having made up her mind, moves quickly...
...but to no avail. The Vision is not interested, and tells her so in no uncertain terms.
Go Vision! I knew it all the time.
Back to the action, the Avengers are attacked by Kang, who starts off the Celestial Madonna Saga by kidnapping not only every woman in the mansion (that would be Mantis, the Scarlet Witch, and Agatha Harkness) but all the men as well.
All but one:
Yeah, you know you're pathetic when even supervillains don't think you're worth their while.
But the Swordsman would get his chance. He's contacted by Agatha Harkness, who instructs him on how to reach the captive Avengers in Egypt. In a pyramid, of course. And he tries, he really does, but--at this point--he is still not making the best of impressions. He breaks into the pyramid easily enough, due to past experience as a tomb robber, but when he is confronted with the dangers within it, his emotional state catches up with him:
He stumbles his way through passages, somehow finding himself near Kang. What luck! But just when he's about to blast Kang with his sword, he is stopped by--Rama-Tut. End of story.
I say "end of story" because, well, I'm missing the next part. It was in Giant Size Avengers 2, which I lack. I did, however, take a quick look in Wikipedia, from which I learned that he dies saving Mantis from Kang, at which point she realizes (of course) that she really does love him after all, and redeems himself, and all that good stuff.
There are a few things that struck me about this story during the rereading.
First is how much I dislike the character of Mantis. I don't think even the ten-year-old me was that enthralled with her, since I thought she was pretty mean (although she had easily the best powers of any woman I'd seen up to that point), but now? Manipulative, self-centered, willing to break up not only her own relationship but someone else's in order to get what she wants, she's portrayed very negatively. She destroyed the Swordsman. And yet she was firmly on the side of the heroes. How often--thirty years ago--did we see someone not a villain whose character was so unlikable?
Second has to do with how damned stereotypical Mantis' character is. She's Asian, therefore she knows martial arts, has awareness beyond the understanding of Western folk, and is basically inscrutable. (Granted that we later learn that she was in fact trained by the Kree, but the point still stands.) She possessed a number of gender-stereotypical characteristics as well--the deference to the Swordsman, the stated need for "a strong man." Although I'm not sure how deep those went, she certainly displayed an abhorrance and scorn for a man who was not stereotypically strong, brave and heroic, equally as unrealistic, and certainly equally as disastrous for the Swordsman who tried to live up to her ideals in order to keep her..
Third is how fully the younger me bought into the notion that it was at all appropriate for either one of these people to be so responsible for the other's well-being. The notion of being saved by "the love of a good woman" (and destroye by its loss)? Not until we saw the results of that utter dependency, the weakness and incapacity born of drawing all of one's strength from another person, did I as a kid realize that there was something fundamentally wrong there. That was, I think, a pretty big thing to do in a comic in 1973--to write against the common ideal in that way.
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